When we added a “Thought Leadership” component of our latest strategic plan, it brought a new level of awareness to the long-term strategic work of our board of directors and team; work that goes beyond our traditional business retention, expansion, and attraction projects.
For over three decades, we have provided a lasting vision and strategy for regional economic growth. We continuously look both within our community and around the world to identify issues and opportunities that might impact West Michigan’s economic future.
One of the most recent examples of this work was the development and launch of the West Michigan Regional Dashboard.
The West Michigan Regional Dashboard
The West Michigan Regional Dashboard is a comprehensive online tool that tracks the overall health and prosperity of our region.
The goal of the dashboard is to inform, educate, and focus regional efforts around a common set of indicators, so progress can be achieved quicker and more collaboratively.
Until now, our region lacked a common set of metrics by which to measure its overall growth, health, and prosperity. Although several organizations today collect, track, and share valuable data individually, a coordinated measurement tool for the entire region was missing.
The West Michigan Regional Dashboard brings this data together, for the first time, in an easy-to-understand and navigate dashboard.
One of the most critical aspects to the success of the dashboard was the collaborative nature in which it was built. Our economic development partners, along with the region’s workforce development agencies, metro planning groups, and community foundations, all worked in partnership to make this dashboard a reality.
The West Michigan Regional Prosperity Alliance also played a key role in providing the funding for this project. Without the support and collaboration of these organizations, the dashboard would not have been possible.
I encourage you to visit www.wmdashboard.org and explore the West Michigan Regional Dashboard for yourself. Explore the vast amount of information contained in the tool, and discover where you and your company can engage in West Michigan’s economic growth story.
Organizational Update
It's been a busy quarter at The Right Place. Here are a few highlights:
- We assisted 3 companies with expansions in West Michigan:
- Siliconature: $20 million investment, 26 high tech jobs
- Milacron LLC: $5 million investment, 25 new jobs
- Attwood Marine: $2 million investment, 80 new jobs
- I was honored to be named "Business Person of The Year" at the Economic Club of Grand Rapids 2017 Annual Dinner.
- Cindy Brown, our Vice President of Talent Initiatives and Hello West Michigan Executive Director, was honored at West Michigan Woman's first-ever Brilliance Awards. She received the "Connector" award.
- MMTC-West launched new programs and services to assist companies with cybersecurity compliance.
Birgit Klohs
President & CEO
The Right Place Inc.